APRIL 17, 2010
I was recently asked by my good friend Chris Harvey to name my top 5 favorite movies of all time. I couldn’t do it. In fact, I loath the question for a whole slew of reasons. However, it inspired me to compile this list; my favorite movies of all time. Keep in mind, this is not a ‘greatest of all time’ list, just my favorites. In the short write up I have done for each I will explain why it is one of my favorites. I have linked the titles to the Wikipedia page. I hope that you haven’t seen at least a few and are aroused to rent and experience them yourselves after reading this. They are in order of release date starting with the earliest.
Keep checking back as more will be added soon.
1922 – Nosferatu: eine Symphonie des Grauens
Max Shreck
Dir. F W Murnau
This film is considered a benchmark of German expressionist film which later became Film Noir it is also the very first vampire movie ever made. The cinematography heavily contrasts black and white and makes great use of shadows. This technique makes the audience uneasy and almost fearful not because of what you see but what is hidden by the shadows. Nosferatu accomplishes this very successfully. Although seen as a bit cheesy by contemporary audiences, for me, many of the visuals, especially Count Orlok, are still quite disturbing mainly because they are so elemental. Shadow of the Vampire (2000) starring Willam Dafoe presents an interesting (fictional) look into the making of this film, suggesting that Max Shreck actually was a vampire, playing a human, playing a vampire.
1930 – Hell’s Angels
Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon
Dir. Howard Hughes
Many of you will be familiar with this title from Scorcese’s “The Aviator” which did a great job of showing what went into the film. The acting isn’t great, the photography is good but it's no Citizen Kane. What makes this movie so fantastic is the aerial stunts. Even by today’s standards they are pretty thrilling especially when you consider the fact that those are real planes (WWI vintage at that!), with real people flying them. The film is also helped by it's content and portrayal of WWI which doesn’t get enough attention in mainstream film. The ending is also very powerful.
1931 – City Lights
Charlie Chaplin
Dir. Charlie Chaplin
Written, Produced, Edited, Directed, Starring and scored by Charlie Chaplin! The man was simply one of the greatest film makers ever. I re-discovered this and his other works while researching for a silent film of my own. This was his best work in my opinion and I think the comedy still stands up today. It made me feel like a kid watching a cartoon. It's a real shame that in our A.D.D, Blackberry culture we can't sit still long enough to appreciate silent film because this movie had me laughing up until the very last scene. That final scene brought me to tears. The fact that he could make his films basically single handedly was due to his hard work and talent. But to be able to switch gears like that and elicit such contrasting emotions from an audience is his true genius.
1936 – Captain Blood
Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland
Dir. Michael Curtiz
Based on the book by Rafael Sabatini who also wrote the Sea Hawk (a bit further down). This was the breakout performance of Errol (gasp!) Flynn. It really is the pinnacle of pirate adventures and it set the typecast that Flynn had a hard time breaking out of. It's just good ol’ fashioned, light fun. 
1939 – The Adventures of Robin Hood
Errol Flynn, Claude Rains
Dir. Michael Curtiz
When I was kid my dad had made a VHS that I watched whenever I was sick. It was a double feature and both films were recorded off the TV. The first was this one, so needless to say I have seen it a good number of times. Errol Flynn had just become the biggest star in Hollywood and as a result, no expense was spared when making this film. It's costumes are wonderful, it's sets are epic, it's actors are perfect and the story is timeless.
1940 – The Sea Hawk
Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall
Dir. Michael Curtiz
The third and last of the Errol Flynn entries in my list. This, like the other two, has Flynn charming the audience while swashbuckling however this one has a sub-context that is very intentional and impossible to miss. Made in Hollywood during WWII but before Pearl Harbour, Sea Hawk is basically British war propaganda. Its main themes are British pride and dominance at sea and stopping evil foreign powers (in this case the Spanish double for the Nazis). Flynn is so energetic and charming in his early films that you can't help but just enjoy the ride he takes you on. Also most notable is the fantastic score by Erich Korngold who scored most of the Flynn/Curtiz collaborations (Family Guy fans will recognize the score from the episode “Long John Peter”, a personal favorite of mine).
1942 – Casablanca
Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman
Dir. Michael Curtiz
For me this is one of a few perfect films. It has everything; a complicated romance, great acting, timeless music, beautiful sets, superb writing and stunning photography. It's hard to categorize because its part romance, part war movie, part adventure. Bogart plays the cynical, scarred, man with a past to a tea (as he always does). I love watching Claude Rains in this. All of his roles are fantastic, but he really steals the show here.
1944 – Gaslight
Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer
Dir. George Cukor
When I first caught this thriller on TCM I thought it was a Hitchcock. What I love about the film is that as Bergman starts believing that she is going crazy, you as an audience member start to second guess things too. You wonder if she really is just losing her mind even though you think that’s not the case. Charles Boyer gives a superb villainous performance as the manipulating husband. He is so good in fact that you really hate him by the end. Joseph Cotton really has nothing to do and it becomes pretty clear what is going to happen near the end but the thrill leading up to it is first rate.
1944 – The Maltese Falcon
Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet
Dir. John Huston
This is one of a handful of movies that defines Film Noir. Dashell Hammett wrote the book and the film is so well done that even if you haven’t seen it, chances are you are already familiar with the characters. They are all so colourful and ingeniously written and acted that they are almost archetypes of themselves, as is the story. The characters are so complex that the viewer is never really sure as to their motivations, intentions or loyalties; they keep you guessing even the so called ‘hero’. All the while, the elusive Falcon, drives the adventure forward and rivals The Lost Ark as the best Macguffin in film history.
1946 – Notorious
Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock was known as the master of suspense. This film, while not as highly recognized as some of his other works, proves this moniker. It's not your typical Bond type spy thriller but it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time and just keeps winding you tighter and tighter. One of Cary Grant’s best, albeit small, performances and as always Claude Rains and Ingrid Bergman are equally fantastic. This is also some of the best camera work in a Hitchcock film. The same could be argued of Vertigo or Rear Window but the mixture of black and white and his use of high angles really raise the suspense at key times in the movie.
1949 – The 3rd Man
Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton
Dir. Carol Reed
This is another one that defines Film Noir although much darker than the American detective stories that dominated the genre. And this, like "City Lights," was another huge inpiration for a film of my own, which is very obvious if you've seen both. Director Carol Reed made a number of good and successful films in his career but his best was this and “Odd Man Out” with James Mason in 1946. This film is a favorite of mine because of Orson Welles’s performance and the cinematography of Robert Krasker, especially in the fantastic sewer chase scene. Post WWII Vienna is such a perfect backdrop for the story that the city essentially plays a main character. Another thing I love about this movie is how they use Welles’s Harry Lime. How they pump him up, despite him being dead, to the point where he’s something of a celebrity in the movie. And his grand entrance is simply perfect.
1952 – High Noon
Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly
Dir. Fred Zinnemann
Unforgiven was good, Magnificent Seven is a classic and Butch Cassidy is a gem but this is my favorite western and the only one on this list. What I like about it is that its story is so incredibly simple yet its message is not. This was made during the height of the communist scare in the US. The theme of one man standing up for what he knows is right despite what everyone thinks and does is a staple of the genre, however this movie is so delicately crafted that if you know your history it is clearly a searing indictment of McCarthyism (one that John Wayne did not care for). On top of that, the black and white cinematography is beautiful. The haunting song “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling,” is the only music throughout and it makes the goal of our hero feel hopeless and the film feel somber as it builds to the stroke of noon.
1954 – Dial “M” for Murder
Ray Milland, Grace Kelly
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
What makes this movie so intriguing is that in the first scene Ray Milland lays out in detail the crime to take place. The mystery is already solved for us; we know who does it, how, why and where. Therefore all we can do is sit back and watch how the whole thing unfolds once the plot goes horribly wrong. Ray Milland gives a performance similar to Charles Boyer in “Gaslight” in that he is so despicable that you just hate him by the end. Grace Kelly 
ain’t hard on the eyes either.
1954 – Rear Window
Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
This is my favorite Hitchcock. He has an uncanny ability to pull you in to the story, to make you feel as invested in the outcome as the characters. Again, I could be drawn into anything that involves watching Grace Kelly for a couple of hours. What makes this film so brilliant is its comment on voyeurism. It sets up Jimmy Stewart’s character as someone who is extremely self involved yet he is suddenly fascinated by the personal lives of his neighbours. Call it what you will; people watching, spying, voyeurism, perving. It's something we have all done at some point even if for a very short time. Therefore the plot is relatable which drives home the suspense.
1954 – Sabrina
Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn
Dir. Billy Wilder
This movie sits comfortably in my top 5. This selection may confuse you if you have only seen that 2nd rate Harrison Ford re-make on AMC. That film was nothing more than trashy fluff; do not associate the two. The original is so many things that the re-make is not. First, you cannot replace that cast. Bogart always knocks it out of the park as he does here and William Holden is brilliant as the spoiled playboy heir to a family fortune (as he was in real life). For me, this film is made by Hepburn’s performance and the music. Audrey Hepburn is simply delightful to watch; she brings the right mixture of charm and innocence. And make no mistake, the underlying darkness that defines her performance in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (her most famous role) is nowhere to be seen here. The music is classic and beautiful. The film is fully scored but only two songs stick out, “Isn’t it Romantic” and “La Vie en Rose” both used by Wilder to define the two chapters in the characters life. It's really too bad that nowadays it seems as though Rom-com has almost completely taken over the romance genre and anything resembling a romance is a waste of 2 hours starring Hugh Grant and Mandy Moore.
1957 – Paths of Glory 
Kirk Douglas, Adolphe Menjou
Dir. Stanley Kubrick
I must preface this by saying that I am not as familiar with Kubrick as I would like to be. This was one of his very early films. It is a WWI courtroom drama highlighting the cheapness of life during the Great War. While most war films try to emphasize this point by focusing on the pointlessness of fighting, this film does so in a totally different way. It reveals the hypocrisy, corruption, politics behind the scenes that is not often examined. This movie had me on the edge of my seat guessing what would happen up until the very end. The film leaves you with a really sick feeling in your stomach, a testament to the writers, actors and Kubrick. The camera work and cinematography is also stunning (especially the long tracking sequence through the trench). It is an early indicator of Kubrick’s genius that was to peak in the 1960’s/70’s with A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, etc.
1959 – Singin’ in the Rain
Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor
Dir. Stanley Donen
Who does not love this movie? For me this film defines it's genre; the songs are catchy and upbeat, the sets and costumes are bright and elegant and the dancing is perfect (Kelly would have it no other way). What makes it so charming is obviously the performances by the three leads but also it's subtle backhanded slight towards Hollywood and film culture. Even though it mocks the industry in the 1920’s it’s still funny and relevant to today’s film industry. It rains a lot in Vancouver but if I have my ipod on listening to the iconic title song, the cold precipitation ceases to bother me. I even sometimes feel inclined to fold up my umbrella and spin on a lamp post (but obviously I don’t).
1964 – Goldfinger
Sean Connery, Gert Frobe
Dir. Guy Hamilton
From Russia with Love (released a year earlier) is a better film in general and a better spy film. This entry in Hollywood’s most successful and longest running franchise marks the departure of Bond away from Ian Fleming’s vision of the ultimate gentleman spy. In fact, the character would never really be faithful to its source material until Daniel Craig’s turn in Casino Royale (the very first Fleming novel, written in 1953). That being said, Goldfinger is the gold standard (pun intended) for James Bond films as we know them. It has every element that defines the franchise; the Aston Martin, the bevy of blondes, the larger than life villain bent on world domination, the signature theme song with nude models superimposed over the credits. In short, it's Austin Powers without the comedy. Many, if not all, of the other Bonds have tried to recreate this formula but none have done it so successfully.
1964 – Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Atomic Bomb
Peter Sellers, George C. Scott
Dir. Stanley Kubrick
This movie is so smart it's almost not even funny. However, this movie is really, REALLY funny. To truly appreciate its genius it certainly helps having an understanding of the mentality that existed during the Cold War . The story is plausible enough; an airbase commander goes haywire and orders a nuclear strike on the enemy Soviet Union. The characters, (mostly played by Peter Sellers) in our post-war hindsight, seem absurd. But what’s truly funny is that they're not! Aside from Sellers occasionally hamming it up, they are played almost entirely straight serious. They are perfect caricatures of the Cold War era which is why the film has only gotten funnier with age. And apart from the characters, the film takes a backhanded swipe at the whole notion and paranoia surrounding mutually assured destruction that defines the time.
1966 – Grand Prix
James Gardner, Eva Marie Saint
Dir. John Frankenheimer
As a big Formula 1 racing fan I have always been disappointed at the fact that in nearly 100 years of the sport and given our culture’s attachment to fast automobiles, there is only a few racing movies out there and only one about F1. Formula 1 was, and still is, the pinnacle of motorsports in every way and this film demonstrates the lifestyle that comes with such prestige and danger. The highlight of Grand Prix is naturally the racing sequences. It is raw, it is fast and it is real; it was the first use of cameras in Formula 1 cars with footage for the film taken from the 1966 Monaco and Belgian Grand Prix’s. For close ups (such as the one on the right) the actors were actually driving. James Gardner was so good at it that he took up auto racing in real life. Only Claude Lelouch’s C'était un Rendezvous (1976) can compare to the race footage. The sound that accompanies the sequences is fantastic and would be mind-blowing with a Dolby Digital re-master on a surround system. The combination of authentic cabin and engine recordings and actual race footage makes each race spectacularly suspenseful. Those ‘60’s race cars are beautys too; real classics.
